Representatives of the California-Pacific Conference have been present at meetings in different locations near disaster areas for the past few weeks, organizing to respond with a number of different organizations inside and outside of the church.

One of those meetings was held on Sunday, January 14, 2018 with over 100 people from 15 churches attending at Camarillo United Methodist Church and via video conference.  Rev. Jim Powell, North District Superintendent, says, “The love of God through Christ’s body was displayed in a huge way through the North District congregations. We are the people who are “the first in and the last out” when rebuilding communities. My heart is moved by the generous people who are called United Methodists.”

The same could definitely be said of the efforts in the South District where a meeting was held at San Luis Rey Valley UMC with the local Volunteers Active in Disaster (VOAD) and included government officials, an UMCOR consultant, and Cal-Pac United Methodists.

These meetings have resulted in the following updates:

• Donations can now be made to the Cal-Pac Disaster Response Advance #24020 online or by check
• Housing – A local church in the North District and another in the South District have volunteered to house Early Response Team and UMVIM Team members during their work
• Office Space – A local church in the South District has offered their church facility as office space for volunteer management and case management
• Translators – Spanish speaking persons might be needed for assisting persons in completing forms for assistance from FEMA
• Assistance – Sources of assistance includes FEMA as well as Optum